Petunias flower for a long time and will flower one after another from spring through autumn, thus resulting in being widely cultivated as an ornamental flower in flowerbeds, flowerpots etc.
There are a considerably large number of varieties of petunias having flowers of diverse forms. Petunia flowers range from those with a single color to those having patterns of various shapes with a different color from the background color. Generally, petunia varieties having flowers with such patterns are more popular than varieties having single-color flowers. In particular, varieties having flowers with marginal patterns have high market value.
However, petunias favor a relatively mild climate and tend to be sensitive to the photoperiod. As a result, there are instances where the plants do not fully flower when daylight hours are short due to a long rain in the summer. As such, there is a need to develop a petunia variety which is excellent in cold resistance and resistance to rain.
The present invention meets this need and the object of the present invention is to provide a novel variety of petunia (Petunia hybrida) which is excellent in cold resistance and resistance to rain and which has beautiful flowers with margins.
Breeding of `Magic Star` was conducted from 1996 to 1997 in Oaza-Idei, Oyama, Tochigi, Japan and Norwich Road, Foxley, Dereham, Norfolk NR20 4SS, United Kingdom, as follows:
A seedling designated MS-01 (unpatented) possessed by the present applicant was self-pollinated in Apr. 1996, and self-fertilized seeds were obtained in May 1996 in a greenhouse of Japan Tobacco Inc., located in Oaza-Idei, Oyama, Tochigi, Japan. MS-01 bears vivid reddish purple (ISCC-NBS) (Japanese Horticultural Standard color chart number (J.H.S.) 9207, Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart number (R.H.S.) 72B) flowers having yellowish white (J.H.S. 3301, or between R.H.S. 155B and 158C) marginal patterns.
The self-pollinated seeds were sown in August 1996 and cultivated in a greenhouse located at Norwich Road, Foxley, Dereham, Norfolk NR20 4SS, United Kingdom, and as a result, they flowered in December 1996.
The selected plant was excellent in plant information with a number of large flowers having yellowish white margins distinct from the background color of bright red purple. The selected plant was multiplied via vegetative reproduction using cuttings of the selected plant from January 1997 in a greenhouse. After multiplied plants were temporarily planted in March 1997 in pots in a greenhouse, they were transplanted to the open field in April 1997 in Norwich Road, Foxley, Dereham, Norfolk NR20 4SS, United Kingdom.
The characteristics of `Magic Star`, including the heat, rain, cold and pest resistance, were examined in the open field in June 1997, and the homogeneity and stability were confirmed thereby completing the breeding.